Genetic testing conducted by SeaD Consulting shows continued shrimp mislabeling across Gulf Coast restaurant markets, with stark differences between regions and clear evidence that imported shrimp falsely marketed as domestic or Gulf-caught often commands the highest prices.
SeaD’s findings are based on multiple rounds of restaurant testing using its RIGHTTest in the New Orleans area, including the West Bank and Metairie, as well as follow-up retesting in Galveston, Texas.
In December 2025, SeaD conducted genetic testing at 24 restaurants on the West Bank of New Orleans, an area widely associated with Louisiana seafood traditions. Testing found that only 66 percent of restaurants were serving authentic, locally caught wild shrimp, while the rest served imported, farm-raised shrimp.
None of the eight restaurants serving imported shrimp displayed signage of menu language disclosing the shrimp’s origin, despite Louisiana law requiring disclosure. Seven of eight restaurants, either verbally or through menu language, indicated that domestic wild-caught shrimp was being served, while one stated they were unsure of the origin.
Louisiana Shrimp Task Force chairman Andrew Blanchard said the results show a lack of compliance when local shrimp is readily available. “When the local shrimp is so abundant, there’s no excuse not to serve them,” Blanchard said.
By comparison, testing conducted in Metairie between Jan. 10 and 12, 2026, found 83 percent of restaurants serving authentic American wild-caught shrimp, a rate similar to prior testing in New Orleans proper and significantly higher than the West Bank results.
SeaD’s COO and founder Erin Williams said the date challenges consumer assumptions about price and quality. “In Metairie, the most expensive shrimp dishes were the least authentic,” Williams said. “Genetic testing removes the guesswork and exposes how mislabeling doesn’t just deceive consumers- it penalizes honest restaurants and Louisiana’s shrimping communities.”
In Galveston, Texas, SeaD retested 22 restaurants previously sampled in 2024 and found measurable improvement. Nearly 64 percent of restaurants were serving domestic wild-caught Gulf shrimp, up from 41 percent the year before, while inauthenticity dropped from 59 percent to 23 percent.
The improvement followed the implementation of a new Texas law prohibiting restaurants from labeling imported shrimp as Gulf, Texas, domestic, or American shrimp. Still, SeaD identified five restaurants that misrepresented the origin of shrimp in both testing periods, indicating, the organization said, persistent, structural fraud.
Williams said the results show verification is driving behavioral change, but enforcement remains critical. “When restaurants are tested and held accountable, many correct course quickly,” Williams said. “But the fact that five restaurants misrepresented shrimp origin in both testing periods tells us this isn’t confusion- it’s a pattern.”
Across all three markets, SeaD’s findings point to a consistent trend of financial misrepresentation that harms consumers while undercutting domestic suppliers who comply with sourcing and disclosure laws. While testing and transparency efforts appear to be improving compliance in some regions, SeaD emphasized that voluntary disclosure alone remains insufficient without continued oversight.
The firm's testing is intended as an investigatory tool to support the restaurant industry’s efforts to combat seafood mislabeling and is not intended for use in legal proceedings.
